Scar Tissue
by TheMoonProject
Summary: The war left many people scarred, but especially a certain curly headed Gryffindor. Remus wonders, and discovers. Piece by Immyownsuperman. Please Read and Review.


_The Moon Project is a collective collaboration between authors devoted to the Remus/Hermione pairing. Though these authors have other pairings, they post on this page for this single pairing. Our goal is simply to post Remus/Hermione stories of all variety. There isn't enough, and we plan to change that for future readers. We are still accepting authors, message the Author "immyownsuperman" for more information. Please enjoy, read, and review._

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><p>It didn't take long for Remus to notice something was wrong. Although June had come and gone and the summer heat made him pack up his heavier cloaks, one member of the trio continued to wear long sleeves<p>

After all, they had all come back damaged from the war, each with their own nervous habits and ticks. But there was something about how Hermione would sit and fidget with the right sleeve of her shirt every day that seemed to stand out to Remus.

Sometimes he would catch his eyes roving over that arm in an attempt to figure out what it was she would hide behind the long sleeved tee shirts; even in the heat.

It was the day that Ron had placed a hand thoughtlessly on her right arm (that had started all his worry.) made him worried. She has jumped and yanked her arm to her chest, and Ron had looked disgusted with himself before excusing himself from the table. Leaving the young woman with her other best friend, Harry, who was rubbing her shoulder in comfort.

She was hiding something from prying eyes beneath that cloth. Something that he longed to know and yet didn't. Because the shame of hiding ones scars was all too familiar.

But his curiosity and worry only grew as time passed.

They were alone one day in the library, both restless. Him, from the approaching moon and her, from what he could only guess were nightmares from the war.

After some light conversation, Hermione had fallen asleep on the chair across from his own, her right arm cradled to her chest, another nervous habit he'd noticed.

At first, Remus was only slightly disturbed from his reading. Hermione whimpered quietly and shifted her legs in restlessness every once in a while.

Suddenly she let out a blood curdling scream and Remus' was on his feet. Shivers coiled through her body and she convulsed violently.

"Hermione," he mumbled into the night, his voice lost to her screams. His hands clutched at her upper arms in an attempt to calm her, but only resulted in her body bucking wildly underneath his own.

Sometime in their struggle they ended up on the ground, his body on top, attempting to hold her down.

After awhile her struggling stopped, and all he was left with was a sobbing woman who appeared to have accepted defeat. Until he realized her eyes were still closed and she still dreamed.

"No...please, Bellatrix... No."

Hermione's right arm moved away from him, as she attempted to hide the limb underneath her body, as if someone was trying to do some damage to it.

If Bellatrix was the cause of Hermione's grief he could only imagine the terrors she had inflicted and the damage she'd done to Hermione's arm. It made Remus cringe and he was tempted to roll up Hermione's sleeve to see it for himself. in wonder at what she had really done.

They laid like that for some time longer, as the younger witch sobbed out her despair as if the damage was being done once more.

She awoke with a start, surprised at the heavy weight atop her. But was assaulted with the smell that could only be that of Remus Lupin.

"Remus?" her voice cracked from all the screaming and it broke Remus' heart to hear how scared she sounded.

His hands met her face, "I'm here," he comforted her, gently he brushed her tears away.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," he growled, effectively cutting off an apology that Remus didn't want to hear.

"It was just so real..." she whimpered into the air, her voice cracking with those words.

Remus smoothed back her hair in an attempt to comfort her further, "What happened?"

"I was back in Malfoy manor..." she took a deep breath and let it out across his cheek, "and Bellatrix was torturing me again, she was-" Hermione stopped abruptly.

"She what?" Remus prompted quietly, silently hoping Hermione would tell him what was hidden beneath her sleeve.

"No one knows..." she murmured, clearly she'd meant to keep this to herself but Remus could still hear her soft voice. in a manner that Remus felt sounded like to herself.

"What Hermione?"

She pushed herself up off the ground, pushing Remus along with her until they were both seated across from each other.

She reached for her right sleeve and started to tug it up slowly.

The angry scars shocked Remus. He couldn't tell what they formed until the sleeve was up past her elbow. As soon as the word Mudblood was spelled out on her arm, Remus had to turn his head away and suppress the growl that bubbled in his throat.

"That's what you've been hiding?" he finally said, his voice strained, his head turned away from her.

"It's so ugly, and it marks me." he could hear the contempt in her voice, and he had to turn around at that.

Remus growled, "It does not mark you," he reached out and snagged her arm, "it is not you."

The werewolf reached out his long fingertips and traced the letters on her arms, gently but insistent all the same.

Hermione was surprised when he brought up the scar tissue to his mouth and kissed it gently.

"Never be ashamed of your scars."

The tears in her eyes made him start, and he reached over to brush the liquid away. The tears were hot to the touch.

"Oh Remus..." she murmured before leaning in and brushing a kiss against his lips.

Remus didn't respond before she pulled away from him. He reached a hand around and gripped her neck to bring her lips more forcefully down onto his own.

So he could kiss all of her fears away.


End file.
